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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 15th, 2022–Mar 16th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Good skiing can be found at all elevations. The recent winds have created reactive wind slabs in the alpine, so route finding is the key to a safe day.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with a chance of light flurries. The morning will start out at -9c and warm up to -5c in the alpine. Winds are expected to be from the West at 40-50km/hr. The freezing level is forecast to be at 2100m.

Avalanche Summary

One size 1.5 slab avalanche was observed on the north aspect of Commonwealth peak. It was about 30-40cm deep.

Snowpack Summary

5cm of new snow brings the storm snow to around 25cm. In the alpine, there is a 20-35cm soft wind slab that is producing moderate test results and a concern for triggering. The winds were moderate and variable on Tuesday, so expect to find these wind slabs on most aspects. The Feb 19 interface(hard wind slab and crust on solar aspects) is down about 40-60cm in the Commonwealth area and is more of a concern on solar aspects. Moist snow was observed below 2000m.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.